nuke2

Gensuikyo publishes statement on efforts to be made toward NPT Review Conference prep.

The Japan Council against A and H Bombs (Japan Gensuikyo) published a statement expressing its position toward the third preparatory committee meeting for the 2005 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference scheduled for April 26 - May 7 at the U.N. headquarters in New York.

The coming preparatory committee meeting is the last one to be held before the NPT Review Conference in May 2005, which is to focus on acting upon the commitment to nuclear weapons abolition that the five nuclear weapons countries agreed on in the NPT Review Conference in 2000.

The Gensuikyo statement criticized the U.S. use of force and nuclear threats on the pretext of terrorist attacks and nuclear proliferation, and development of new nuclear weapons including small nuclear weapons. Taking note of these moves and the new aspect of nuclear proliferation, the statement emphasized the need for a universal and binding agreement banning nuclear weapons.

It also calls on the preparatory committee to call on all the NPT member governments to agree to make the 2005 NPT Review Conference a forum to discuss a treaty on a complete ban of nuclear weapons and after discussing the processes and terms for achieving it, agree on the treaty.

A six-member delegation of Japan Gensuikyo to the third preparatory committee left Japan on April 25. (end)